The Problem with Rewarding High Visibility over High Impact Work – An Engineer's Perspective

In today's fast-paced and dynamic work environment, engineers are constantly trying to prove their worth, be it through their expertise, dedication, or innovative ideas. However, a major issue plaguing the industry is the unfair evaluation of performance based on visibility rather than the actual impact of the work. While high visibility and low impact projects often win the limelight, high impact projects with low visibility are left unrewarded. This article aims to shed light on this problem and highlight the issues that may arise if this trend continues.

The World's Attention: A Double-edged Sword

In today's fast-paced world, the projects and tasks that get the most attention tend to be the ones that have the most significant impact on how people are perceived. Unfortunately, this is not always a reliable measure of the actual value that a project brings to a company or its customers. As the saying goes, it's through cases like this that you realize that what actually matters to the world is whatever gets the most attention.

The Dilemma of Visibility in Performance Evaluation

The current state of performance evaluation in many organizations is plagued by the bias towards projects with high visibility. Such projects, though they may have little tangible impact, receive accolades and rewards, while high impact projects with low visibility are often overlooked. Here are some examples illustrating this issue:

Attention over Impact

It's through cases like this that you realize that what actually matters to the world is whatever gets the most attention. If you are doing amazing work that benefits hundreds, thousands, or even millions of people, but nobody is paying attention, then it will be really hard to justify it. Conversely, shallow stuff that might only benefit a few but gets tons of attention is easy to justify and keep going.

The Shiny Prototype vs The Unseen Heroes

Two engineers, Engineer A and Engineer B, have contrasting responsibilities. Engineer A works on the new shiny prototype, which is riddled with bugs and errors and never goes to production, but gets to demo it to upper management. Meanwhile, Engineer B grinds away on the old "legacy" system, fixing bugs, adding new small features, and generally keeping things going. Who do you expect will be getting the bigger RSU package? Unfortunately, it seems that often the key factor is indeed visibility.

The Fallout of Unfair Performance Evaluations

Unfair performance evaluations not only demoralize employees but also lead to a toxic work environment. Rewarding high visibility, low impact projects create a competitive atmosphere where employees are more focused on being seen than doing meaningful work. As a result, organizations may suffer in the long run as productivity drops and innovation is stifled.

?A Call for Change

Managers play a crucial role in shaping the work culture and setting the tone for performance evaluations. When managers prioritize visibility over impact, they inadvertently create an environment where employees are more concerned with gaining attention than making meaningful contributions. By perpetuating this culture, managers contribute to the decline of the work environment and inhibit the growth of their teams.

Instead of focusing solely on visibility, managers should adopt a more balanced approach to evaluating performance, taking into account the actual impact of the work. This can be achieved by:

Developing clear performance metrics that are based on the value and impact of projects, rather than their visibility.

Encouraging open communication and regular feedback from team members, ensuring that high impact, low visibility projects do not go unnoticed.

Recognizing and rewarding employees for their contributions to high impact projects, even if they don't generate immediate attention.

Reaping the Benefits of Prioritizing High Impact Work

By focusing on high impact work, organizations can enjoy numerous advantages, such as improved efficiency, talent retention, enhanced innovation, streamlined decision-making, increased profitability, better collaboration, and an elevated reputation. Such a focus also contributes to a stronger company culture, long-term sustainability, and a greater competitive advantage. By emphasizing the value of meaningful contributions and fostering a supportive work environment, organizations can build a motivated workforce that drives continuous growth and adapts to the dynamic business landscape.

The Way Forward

As we continue to grapple with the issue of visibility versus impact, it is essential to recognize the value of high impact work, even if it is not as immediately visible. By shifting our focus from rewarding attention-seeking projects to those that genuinely make a difference, we can create a more equitable and healthy work environment for engineers.

Organizations must strive to create a culture that fosters innovation, rewards meaningful contributions, and ensures that all employees have a fair opportunity to succeed, regardless of the visibility of their work. In doing so, they will not only build a motivated and engaged workforce, but also lay the foundation for long-term success and growth in the competitive landscape of the engineering industry. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of both management and employees to prioritize high impact work over attention-seeking projects and create a work culture that values genuine contributions over mere visibility.

Thank you for reading.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other individual, agency, organization, employer, or company. The examples and discussions provided in this article are based on the author's personal experiences and observations and are intended for informational purposes only.